10 THINGS that FOREIGNERS need to get used to in DENMARK

[@Kirstinevad]

The umbrella situation; 😂 yeah it does not combine well with windy situations 💕

[@sismofytter]

The reason the strong alcohol is "protected" in some supermarkets is to prevent theft 🙂

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

Ah ok! ☺️👍🏻 thanks!

[@dbblicher]

@@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark preventing theft is only part of it. It also has to do with our laws. Strong alcohol requires the legal age of 18, while beers and wines are available when you're 16 years old. Placing these bottles behind the cashier in a locked container, makes it easier to remember to actually ask for ID before selling. It's not required per law to have them behind lock and key, but it does make it easier to train the cashiers to remember to ask, when they have to break their drone-like habits of pushing groceries past the scanner and asking, cash or credit. Mind, I'm not saying they're stupid not at all. But doing the same thing over and over the whole day, makes your mind start to wander and breaking the monotomy is a good way to bring them back to the present.

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

@@dbblicher ah interesting ! Thanks ! 😃👍🏻😊

[@kj12351]

@@dbblicher That stuff was behind the cashier WAY before that law ever came to be, so I don't think that has anything to with that.

[@dbblicher]

@@kj12351 true. However, I never said it was the only reason, but it was part of it. Before 1998 when the law was passed, you could also find strong alcohol in many stores all over the place, not just at the registers behind the cashiers. Some stores still place alcohol around their stores, to this day. But I guess it depends on the local demographic. I believe that it's more likely in Jylland and Fyn, than in Sjælland maybe? I know I see strong alcohol not only behind the cashiers in stores, in Kolding where I live. At any rate, alcohol was generally placed behind the cashiers in smaller stores to conserve space as much as to prevent theft, because the alcohol never had much of an inventory and an indentation in the walls next to all the tobacco was the obvious choice for the bottles.

[@basquat76]

I don't think the stores have enough customers here in Denmark to justify a bigger selection. They'd probably have to throw most of it out. And throwing out food is not something we like to do.

[@ducktorlarsen5574]

exactly, and I don't find it a problem as she's used to a big variety in France, Im used to a small variety in Denmark and I can still get exactly the same things they can get in supermarkets in France. I'll just have to visit a special store specialized for exactly that. For example like the Chocolate, you don't find that many different kinds in normal stores, if you want real not dumb mass produced stuff you find in every single store, you'll just have to go to a store specialized in selling Chocolate. And I can garantee there exist a shop for every single thing you want that should have a good variety of one type of product, you just have to find the shop you're looking for. Which I do think can be tricky sometimes as if they are trying to hide in some unknown corner of the city that no human walk in.

[@RobertClaeson]

I believe there's also a law against very large grocery stories in Denmark. At least when I lived there (until end of 2020), they were all, whether it's Meny or Netto or something else, mid-size and not large enough to accommodate a very wide selection. In Sweden, where I am now, there are those super large ICA Maxi and others, with plenty of space and a wide selection (although not always the selection that I want). Also, "why do you need so many different kinds of butter/chocolate/whatever". The truth is, most people don't. Most people would be happy with just one or a few options - as long as the options are those that person likes. And due to human nature, we don't all have the same preferences. Thus 30 different kinds of butter, of which I will consistently always buy one and the same. My neighbour will probably consistently always buy one and the same, but a different one than the one I like.

[@lhpl]

@@RobertClaeson dairy products are usually produced by very few different dairy corporations. Some stores have one or more store brands, and there is also some import, but often the contents are indistinguishable from the original brand. A large country may have more larger manufacturers, as well as a bigger market for small-medium manufacturers, giving more variety. Also, since the middle ages, Denmark has had a "stored/preserved" food tradition, out of necessity (cooler climate.) This means there is not as strong a tradition for buying fresh stuff from markets, and also far less variety.

[@jonaskoelker]

Huh. I was thinking more options requires more shelf space which requires more land which is expensive, meaning the supermarket has to charge higher prices to cover their costs. Thus there's a competitive advantage to trimming the shelf space requirements. Are the French (slightly) bigger spenders on food in general? Maybe it's because Denmark is a biking rather than driving culture, which makes us want supermarkets that are nearby. We get more nearby-ness if all the groceries are spread out among a larger number of individually smaller supermarkets, and they're spaced appropriately. Are the French more happy to drive to bigger super-stores? [I suspect the Americans are; I don't know about the French.] Or maybe it's just that it's a smaller country. In every industry, the larger the fixed costs the fewer companies can operate profitably; and the more customers, the more companies can operate profitably. Let's assume international trade in groceries is limited enough to be insignificant (questionable, but it simplifies the analysis). Then I would predict that countries with a population count similar to Denmark will have similarly narrow selections, and countries with a population similar to France will have selections similar to France. Does anyone know whether this is the case?

[@esbeng.s.a9761]

There are laws that spesefy how big supermarker food section can be, the idea was to protect smaller supermarkeder

[@thomasthyrrestrup7526]

I like that you mention both "positive" and "negative" things 😊

[@petermoller4610]

You are spot on about getting a good raincoat. The classic Danish saying is: there is no bad weather, only improper clothing.

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

Thanks for the saying i didn’t know about! 😃😊👍🏻

[@petermoller4610]

@@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark It would always be explained to me when I refused to ride my bicycle the 1.5km i had to school. My mother would talk about no bad weather, only bad clothing. then I would be put in rain coat, rain pants, and wellies. And sent off on my bicycle to school. This was in a suburb to ODENSE btw

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

@@petermoller4610 she’s right ! Now i know what to say to my son when he’s big enough 😁😊

[@nihansen1457]

"nur falsches Kleid"

[@nihansen1457]

@@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark it is a German saying. And East Danes bully the Germans for it

[@andersjjensen]

Regarding options: I like that I don't have to walk a mile in a shop for my dailies. I hate the really big stores that have EVERYTHING in seventeen different variants (we actually DO have those. They're just few and far between) for daily shopping. If I want something special I usually go to a speciality shop that exclusively deals with that. So for instance we have tea/coffee, chocolate, cheese, wine and tobacco, sea food, etc, -shops in the city center.... I don't think we have a yoghurt shop though...

[@RobertClaeson]

Yoghurt is in general not a very big thing in Denmark and in many shops almost impossible to find.

[@ane-louisestampe7939]

@@RobertClaeson When I was a kid, we had a "mejeriudsalg" (diaries shop) - 3 streets from the actual diary. You couldn't by milk and butter at the grocer's - not even sure he had a fridge 🤔 Had I live a outside the town center, the milkman would have come by in the morning. Then again - I don't think we'd discovered the outlandish yogurth then: it's was just ymer and tykmælk 😆

[@kurtchristensen1699]

I'm Danish living in Thailand - taking off your shoes is a must in Thailand as well.

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

I didn’t know that! 😃😊👍🏻

[@petermoller4610]

Thailand, Russia, Japan.. basically every country I been to have been shoes off.

[@inkaacrowe8429]

And Singapore as well

[@37tara]

❤

[@epiphany...]

And Turkey as well

[@NichlasLarsen]

The lack of options is caused by the fact, that vi don't have hypermarkets, like you do in France. This is due to government regulations of shop sizes (to safeguard the smaller retail shops - especially in rural areas).

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

Thanks for sharing that info 😃👍🏻

[@TheAVB1995]

Having been in many different countries, I completely agree with the point about the very small selection in Danish supermarkets. There is very little to choose from. It’s something that has annoyed me ever since I moved here.

[@2200bronx]

But how much food is throwing out, just so you can have a bigger selection? You want a biiiiiig selection, but donˋt think about all the waist. In Denmark They do. There is enough to eat, donˋt be peeky😉

[@fioletowamiska]

@@2200bronx it doesn't matter at all if you have options to choose from or not if you cant manage your food you will waste it. I came to cph from poland and that was probably the most annoying thing about denmark, no options to choose in supermarkets compared to what I was used to in Poland. And I dont waste food, I had options, I chose what I knew I would eat

[@klausolekristiansen2960]

@@fioletowamiska It is not how much you throw out. It is how much the supermarket will have to throw out because they have to have many more food items than hey will sell to provide a selection.

[@petertuxen4930]

I know it's a bit late, since the video is a year old. The story about April is that when all the months should get their weather they all lined up in ordrer. January was the first month and he was so exited. April however got distracred by a beautifull butterfly and forgot to get her weather. By the time she remembered, there was no weather left. All of the other months felt sorry for April and decided to give her a little bit of their weather. And that is the story of why the weather is so ever changing in April.

[@mikkelv7020]

Ive spend alot of time in France and ive visited quite a lot of Carrefours. Its always been astonishing how many variants of dairy products you have in France. Your Yoghurt isle is basicly our entire dairyproduct + toppings isle. It seems to me that all the stores in France are big stores whereas here in Denmark every bigger city have 1 big store and several small stores. Most danes will shop in the smaller more local stores, mainly because they usually have everything we need, but also to help the local shops survive. Then every now and then we will go to the big stores to get the things we wont get in a small store.

[@Jetmab04]

😊 Reading this 3 years after you wrote this and, all of it still very accurate and relevant. One éxample is your number 6 about not 'bragging' which I take the liberty of changing to simply just doing/working on things most Danes don't....Danes hate this as, it makes them feel insecure! The Danes even export this behaviour. Resently I was on a holiday in a wonderful African nation and, I constantly heard Danish tourists talking (almost chanting) about the country and people they visited, claiming, these African people now have to learn to do - what the Danes called "the rest of us" do !!!? The specific country in question, happen to be a top developed country in Africa, the population is young, strong, hard working and no, certainly shouldn't change anything at all! I suggest Danish people from Denmark simply stay home and, try to learn that not all people on this planet, have any desire (or requirement) to be like "the rest of us" from Denmark.. In "", simply because this behaviour comes from a very sad Scandinavian "law" called the Jantelaw.... A 'law"which has nothing in common with any judicial law anywhere on our planet but seems to have become the Danish "constitution"... 😮

[@TonnyBredsgaard]

Ah, where do you originate from? I mean it isn't Denmark, that much I can tell, but it is interesting that you condemn all Dane as one?

[@Jetmab04]

@TonnyBredsgaard 😊 the very sad staff within the office of the Danish state attorney, ordered me to prove my birth right some years ago..??? Some hundred years family background, my birth certificate, my fluency in the Danish language and my passport wasn't enough according to this little psychopath...maybe this has to do with the theft from and, abuse of my Danish identy, - who knows or, it could have to do with the 27 people (100% innocent) the Danes have either completely destroyed or "just" killed by now, because they wanted to work with me on a wonderful project about our "fine" Danish "History" (the complete lies) 😰. Unfortunately it's not human possible to see immediately in a person, if he/she is good or evil hence my full contempt of the Danes... I was born in a place called Jylland as the daughter of the sad families, responsible for the Holocaust and, I live in Ireland, work for the government here hence, I'm vetted 100% Have a good Sunday and please check out the subjects "administering" and "preaching" in the place in which you live. Many of them ARE exactly as described by the lovely Cape Verdians I visited back in January: Completely insane😰! !

[@4455thor]

As for taking of shoes in the home: when you think about the weather in Denmark, it makes sense most of nine months/year it's raining, snowing or is some way WET. In our house er usually don't ask people take off their shoes. But out floors and carpets are old. We plan to buy new flooring/carpets and THEN we will ask people to mind our floors. Right now they would freeze their toes off.

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

Yes that makes sense! 😊

[@charisma-hornum-fries]

I have slippers for all guests. Most people light up with happiness when they are presented with them and makes people feel comfortable quickly. Cold shoes and boots in the winter is really crappy indoors so most people are glad not to wear them. IKEA have really cheap and comfortable slippers FYI 😀

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

@@charisma-hornum-fries thanks ! Good to know 😃😊👍🏻

[@Ricardo-yl2bu]

And keeping shoes on in the home is just plain nasty..

[@4455thor]

@@Ricardo-yl2bu NO, but you ask before entering with your shoes on. Many places they tell you to keep your shoes on. But not asking is not being polite.

[@tinamcdaniel443]

Thanks for another great video! It was very interesting to learn about how Danes live! I have watched a lot of videos about Denmark I fallen in love with that country it is beautiful! Thanks for sharing! ❤🇺🇸

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

Thanks a lot! Glad you enjoyed it 😃😊👍🏻

[@jakobnrgaard6634]

Supermarkets with small selection: In Denmark there's two kind of supermarkets: Discount like Rema 1000, fakta, aldi, lidl - which started out with a limited amount of goods in each category and lower prices. And theres "old" supermarkets with a bigger selection like SuperBrugsen, Føtex, Netto. And then in big cities like copenhagen many of the high quality goods are found in special shops which specialize in chocolate, coffee... Also theres a big increase in Denmark over the recent years in online shopping - so many special products you can find easier and cheaper in online shops. I am danish and have been in Paris and France travelling and its so beautiful to shop in big supermarkets where as you mention there are many different types of diary, cheese etc. In general french people have a high culture concerning food and are willing to pay for very good quality food. In Denmark most people don't want to pay that much for high quality food. I think thats the main reason the supermarkets don't have such a big selecetion. Be happy you are french and have that sense for food of very good quality and search out speciale stores in Copenhagen where you can get your favorites.

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

Thanks for your feedback 😊😊😊

[@jon3584]

We need more options in our supermarkets, i totally agree. I travelled alot in Spain, sooo many delicious options and combinations you dont see here. About strong alcohol, Spanish supermarkets even put alarms on them. Some of them is still behind a cashier.

[@Ashelar]

bakeries i say depend on where you live, but most city got a bakery and often the quality is atleast decent, and some are very good. And Supermarked depend wich one you go to, go to say Kvickly you have a bigger selection compared to Netto and so on, but if you want specialties you often go to to speciel shop that have a higher quality items of what you want, like chocolat or coffe, tea etc

[@Excelxor]

Regarding the Dark Chocolate, there have been many attempts the last 10-15 years to sell various flavours, but they just aren't selling enough so they stop selling them. Which is a shame :P

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

Yes it is 😞 i think it’s the best! 🍫

[@illus1ve]

@@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark Of course depending on where you live - I will always recommend people buying things like chocolate more locally. You can find local shops, that often sell both handmade chocolates, tea, coffee and/or wine. They usually have a broader variety of things to choose from. There are also the chain-stores, like Frellsen Chokolade that has a bit over 40 shops across the country. Also a bit more of a speciality shop would be Summerbird, where you can find ~12 shops across the country. I know that they are a bit more expensive than being able to buy a bar of chocolate in places like Føtex or similar. But often times you can find something far better - and sometimes even try something new. Personally I also like supporting local jobs and economy in that manner, everywhere from the production to the shops. And then there's the whole experience when buying something a bit more 'artisan' - very much like when buying a crossaint from a baker in france, who takes pride in his/her work :)

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

@@illus1ve yes that’s true 😊👍🏻

[@H5gr]

my sister used to say about the danish weather in April that it changes like a teenager mood when she's on her period XD I think the best way to deal with it is like onion, just always have lots of layers so you can take some of them down if in gets warm or put it on if there's a lot of cold wind or if it's starts raining

[@TinzensUnivers]

Regarding the options in supermarkets. I think a major factor about limited variations is the very strict requirements that are implemented on the imported items. Some/certain added substances that may be allowed in other countries, can infact be illegal in DK. Also that some substances may be allowed, but in a less amount/volume than what is allowed outside of DK. Also alot of the supermarkets has their own label, so there is a certain range of options but you'd need to visit different stores :)

[@theenchantedzombiebrothers791]

Wow your English accent is good, most french people i have meet has a a strong french accent

[@heinedenmark]

Haha.. Some time ago I saw one of your videos. The last thing.. We're a minimalistic people. Got to do with our history and climate. Which is also why we're good at recycling.. Good video 👍😊

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

Oh yes that’s true , you are 😃😊👍🏻! And thanks , glad you liked it 😊

[@word20]

If you have cravings while you are pregnant in Denmark, you could try to visit La Glace in Copenhagen, where there are many options for different cakes. Then you could study the Danish coffee table because there are many options you have for different cakes you can purchase or bake in your home.

[@aureliem.2509]

Excellent ! Interessant a savoir ! Tres drôle les minis videos aussi ahah

[@alibex649]

thanks for these series of Videos you've made, I been watching them all night tonight. because i'm moving to Denmark in a month and there's so much i don't know about my new home.

[@PalleRasmussen]

I hope your transfer went well and you are happy here.

[@hodamozaffari1900]

Gohhhhd you talk so sweet🥰 thanks for your so useful informations🌹🌹🌹

[@jandamskier6510]

Some supermarkets try to introduce new sorts of vegetables, but people are either very conservative or reluctant. A hundred years ago we ate many more sorts of vegetables than we do now. And I am talking about things you can find in an old version of Frk. Jensen's cook book: Swiss chard, salsify, scorzonera, broad beans are just a few examples. In other parts of Europe there seems to be more variety.

[@aldonastraczek]

Aigle and Saint James have great rain jackets. The key feature to look at is definitely that they zip from the bottom and from the top if they are longer to be bike compatible. Best investments I made for the Danish weather.

[@istrysii]

... where i live in Denmark we have a shop only for "chocolate" things ... and there are what you like and if the dont have it the can make it for you ... and if you talk well with the beaker, the even make bread on other ways ... sometimes you just need to try ask them about it ... and if the see it sell or is a good idea the will try it out maybe not in the 4 big towns ... becouse the are more Locked on what we have it what we can do !

[@GreenLarsen]

Regarding the fewer options in supermarkeds, infrastucture is a huge part of it. 30 years ago (or so) big supermarkeds were the norm and they had more options. But the trend have gone towards smaller and more lokal shopping and thereby also fewer customers --> fewer choices. That said, you can still get all the other things. But you need to order them, often via the net

[@henningmogensen9144]

For variation in foods we tend to go to specialshops. If you want chocolate , gok to a small shop to get it. It is a fairly new trend (10-15 years).You go to supermarkets for cheap food. the exception in Copenhagen, I think, is IRMA.

[@csaadelbo]

It is really a pity that there isn't many bakeries any more. There was a lot of bakeries 20 years ago. But unfortunately, the more mass produced stuff is normal in supermarkets for cheaper prices. I love finding a bakery, and I can't help going in for something.

[@bootlegDENMARK]

lol, I love it, iam french by family, but born in 3. generation (in denmark), but many of your comments is right!

[@jacobmarquard4766]

April has almost everything, winter, spring and summer

[@aninaholbek]

Danish bread and pastries is actually a sad story. When I was younger, there were so many amazing bakeries, and you'd find one around every corner in any town. Now, if you finally find one, they would be really expensive, and not necessarily really good. Most people just buy the crappy bake-off from gas stations, kiosks or even supermarkets. "Rundstykker" were delicious once, now it's about as tasty as chewing on a piece of cardboard. I miss the old bakeries so much!

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

It’s such a shame … 😞

[@BigAndTall666]

Søg de lokale bagere, de er dyrere, men...! 😉

[@hildajensen6263]

@@BigAndTall666 Desværre bruger mange den samme "Just add water" blanding som du kan få i supermarkederne. - Nemt og billigt. Men de ender med at udrydde sig selv.

[@goenqe1783]

About the strong alcohol ( Depends witch store youre at ). 9-10 times all bottles (vodka whisky and so on ) will like you say be behind the counter. Some of bigger retail stores puts "slave" bottles (cheapest Vodka whisky and so on) in the wine section - while they, like the other stores keep most expensive alcohol behind the counter. Reason is to prevent theft. and also because its often young people behind the counter. So it also prevents the often young teens from confrontations with alcoholics stealing. ( at the smaller retail stores where the often only os 1 or 2 young people at night working)

[@KoldingDenmark]

The good thing about waiting for a bus or a train during a blizzard: It makes people start talking to each other. I only lived in Copenhagen for four years, when I was younger. Have happily forgotten what that was like. Here on the east coast of Jylland, you can smalltalk to people if you like, which is nice. Earlier I used to take the city bus to work. Now I bike. You could always be sure that regular passengers always sat in the first row seats in the bus to exchange gossip or have an in depth conversation with the bus driver. It was quite fun to watch or even participate in.

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

That’s so nice 😃😊

[@MrFtoudalk]

I grew up in the sixties in and around Copenhagen. There was a bakery almost on every street corner. But when supermarkets became "the thing" in the seventies, people would buy a good portion of the bakery products there, so naturally the number of bakeries declined. But even with that, when I moved to USA in 2003 from Dianalund, there were two bakeries plus the supermarkets (three of them) in town. What I wouldn't pay for one Danish bakery in this state...

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

I think it’s such a shame 😞 but that’s how it is sadly …

[@KHValby]

😀 Ms. Margaux from Paris. The "small talk magnet" 👍☺️👍 ! As a child I grew up in a US environment, and I've worked for there Embassy. So I'm somewhat used to doing small talk, but generally your right. Danes are not really into it 😊. But we can always talk about the weather, if the situation gets weird 😀 ! And if you don't like the weather..., wait 5 minutes.., it'll change (witch of course you already know 👍 ).

[@MarcovandenHout]

I think the Danes, even more so than the Dutch, want the actual content of their conversations to make sense. In the US, the canned reply to "How are you?" is "Great, how are you?" even if you're in a terrible state. If you ask someone in the Netherlands the reply might be similar, but they could also start complaining about every bad thing that has happened to them since they've last seen you. There are regional differences though, and I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case in Denmark as well.

[@JRBendixen]

Regarding the shoe thingy. At major summer gatherings like weddings, only kids might be asked to take their shoes off.

[@finncarlbomholtsrensen1188]

Norwegian Helly Hansen have a large market in Denmark, selling clothing for a rainy season! And we have rules for young people buying alcohol, so that is also why the hidden position for the bottles.

[@Bluefox1978]

April = snow, heat wave, frost, sun, rain, windy, thunder and hail AND YES! It can all be experienced in one day! 😅

[@jrnmller1551]

regarding supermarket selection, we used to have more options, but a lot off distributors were put off by brands reducing their ability to make profit or the profit could not pay for shelve space if they did not sell enough,so they have gone with their own brands that sells and if you dont have a lot off supermarkets where you live it is your bad luck,and even small cities used to have bakeries but the could not compete with supermarkets crappy bread but cheap prices, when i was a child (1960-70) there were shops selling frish fish,selling cheese,tobacco,shoe-repair, and so on, but the bigger is better supermarkets and shopping malls killed that.

[@TarebossT]

The shoes thing is not only in Denmark but in Eastern Europe and Balkans too.

[@johnjessen7136]

We - Danes - really don't understand that when we 99 times out of a hundred pick the cheapest product in the shop then the better quality products will disappear from the shelfs - And when we do most of our shopping in the discount markets, then the better stocked supermarkets will have to adapt. The main problem is that danes don't want to spend on food, what quality costs!

[@NygaardBushcraft]

I agree with you on that John.. I think the reason people gravitate towards the cheapo stuff is that I have an overwhelming feeling that we in denmark pay 3 times what is reasonable for most goods.

[@Saphie688]

About groceries and choices I'm pretty sure we have a law which makes it so grocery stores can only be maximum a certain size so even if they wanted more space for stuff they couldn't the reason bilka and føtex seems bigger is because they usually have clothes, toys electronics ect. But the actual grocery part is only as big as allowed

[@peterknutsen3070]

4. I often have a small "bag umbrella" with me when I go outside, but often if it rains it's also so windy that it'd just get destroyed. In such cases I mostly don't use it, although I might chance it. They're cheap and I have 4 or so spares at home.

[@christinajensen8058]

The organic and seasonal food..go to a local farm..or a roadside stall..they sell, potatoes, strawberries, aspergus, in the summer.

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

Yes those are great 😃👍🏻😊

[@ruivilaca1763]

Hello, nice video :) about the bread..have you tried being at a sourdough bakery thwre? There are a few...give a try at hart bageri or meyers bageri

[@henrikhansen7450]

Usually it's the nore expensive alcohol thats behind the chasheer. Also... The smaller the supermarket the more is locked away and you have to ask for it. bonus tip: If you want the non standard options, you go to a speciality shop not a supermarket.

[@Knurheim]

Hey Margaux, thank you, finally someone who agrees with me that we lack options in the supermarkets. As a chef I always have to change my plans simply due to lack of available ingredients, and not because the items I want is sold out but because they simply don't sell that item in Danish supermarkets. As a Dane I am used to it be now but it still bothers me that I have to discard ideas or recipes because I can't get the stuff I need...

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

Yes i can imagine in your situation it must be even more frustrating 😓

[@Knurheim]

@@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark It really it, I mean, I am classically trained (Danish/French cuisine) and there are some dishes from the French cuisine I haven't been able to make since my time as a trainee :(

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

@@Knurheim 😥

[@NIKOLAP7]

Buses in Skopje North Macedonia sre also packed, although now with the coronavirus probably not to much. I used to ride on a bus multiple times per day (I had a monthly ticket) when I worked as paralegal, but after the coronavirus I avoid the bus. Now I own a e-scooter and I don't really need a bus.

[@johannesnielsenjohnbates8889]

Danish law put restrictions on how big grocery stores can be. The bigger they are, the stronger the limitations on when they can open and close, and what days they are enforced on closing days. Also the bigger they are the more they are taxed, as they are taxed per square meter. To be able to keep open as much as possible, they narrow down the size, which affects the selection options, as smaller stores don’t have room for large selection. The smaller stores also have a smaller staff, so keeping the more expensive alcohol behind bars prevents theft.

[@emmaDaugaardJensen]

First of all, you are spot on with everything and such an amazing video❤ But a little thing to ad; small talk with complete strangers is possible very often in longer bus ir train rides, if you get to the small towns and an elderly person is your conversation partner, which I admit, is not easy to talk too, if you are not fluent in danish😅 And don't get me started on all the dialects🤣🫣

[@TheSpinutti]

I love dark chocolate, but I only buy it when on vacation, since there are more options in other Europe contries. But I am a Dane, and frankly I like not having to choose in between that many different options.

[@lkjh861]

Try going into a Swedish supermarket - the range of choice for everything from cheeses, meats, breads and everything else is astounding compared to Denmark. I think the lack of choice in Denmark is a weird mix of market monopolies (small country), some degree of ecological awareness (more choice = more waste) and then plain old laziness (Danes are the "lazy" Scandinavians, they **will** cut corners out of convenience/to get more time for hygge ~ though no Scandinavians are actually truly lazy)

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

Interesting 😃😊👍🏻 and thanks for the tip i haven’t been to sweden yet 😃

[@lkjh861]

​@@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark Trust me, you'll be astounded - even Swedish convenience stores has greater selection than many Føtex'es in Denmark ==> Malmø is nice for shopping, has lovely museums and cake shops as well ~ make a trip of it, when you go exploring their supermarkets... ^_^

[@widget0028]

The limited choices are a bummer

[@petermoller4610]

In Sweden you have 3 chains. ICA, Axfood and COOP. They run all the stores in sweden, I really don't see a big difference. Except the wine department in a Danish store is waaay biger than in Sweden :D

[@dennisbohman3848]

​@@petermoller4610 Big brother in the north prefers quality over quantity. =P

[@StoneTitan]

Have to agree with you on the Umbrellas, theres perhaps 10 days a year where an Umbrella is useful. As for the supermarket products, remember you're from a big city so it'll be even more noticeable for you

[@illus1ve]

A lot of super markets actually allow you to have the money deposited from pant/deposit bottles directly into your account by using your credit card. Some of the machines has a button where you can donate the pant money to a specific charity - ie. in our town they were donating to local youth sports clubs for a period of time, hospital clowns etc. You can turn in your pant-bottles at any pant-station/machine - they are required now to accept all off them. Before they only used to have to accept the brands/types they sold themselves - which could be a bit of a hassle.

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

Interesting! Thanks!

[@christianbechhenriksen898]

Definitely agree on the supermarket situation. But as someone mentioned, once in a while companies tries new variants, but I guess the danes don't like thing to change that much. I'm lucky to live nearby a Bilka, which is the largest supermarket chain in Danmark.

[@MarcovandenHout]

The supermarket discussion is really interesting. I found the Danish supermarkets to be very much like in the Netherlands. In France I've been to a 'hypermarché' but that was outside of the city and not very practical if you didn't have a car. Recently in Paris I only found small ones with limited choices. In Copenhagen a supermarket like Føtex in Fisketorvet has plenty of choices for me, but even a 7-Eleven will do as a tourist :) I did have a hard time finding a good selection of magazines and, quite surprising to me, an outdoor shop (the real kind, not your average sports clothing). But I guess it's knowing where to go and doing some more research online might help. Regarding bakeries, it is getting 'worse' in the Netherlands as well, because supermarkets have decent selections nowadays so it's getting harder to get high quality locally made bread which I guess the French are more passionate about. Similarly, you can get several variants of 'pasta' but nothing compared to what even a small supermarket in Italy has. We don't have much fresh fish (most is defrosted or sold frozen) except in specialist stores. We do have a good choice in cheeses, although also here specialist stores have way more. Chocolate is way better in Belgium. But Belgians come over here to shop (because of the prices being 10% higher over there) ...

[@thomasthyrrestrup7526]

About your opinion on on how many things to choose from in Danish supermakets vs. French ditto, I think you have a point. I can of course be difficult to know why that is, but one thing, I believe, is, that the French are much more serious about and know more about food than Danes do (in general). Also (I don't remember the exact numbers) French people use a bigger percentage of their salary on foot than Danes do and then it's quite understandable to demand both better quality and more "things" to chose from 😊

[@flemmingengel1961]

in supermarkets run according to an American system 1st shelf must per cm. give a return of a certain sizer otherwise it will be removed .and you are right it is sad. but there are businesses with larger selections where prices are higher

[@charlottebghandersen4195]

The strong liquer is often kept behind the cassier so it cannot be stolen

[@thomaskristensen9814]

Ohh i love french bakeries. You should definitely open one in Odense.

[@FlemmingDP]

Well i find it really interesting to hear all these perspectives. Regarding bread i can only agree with you as when i visit my friend and his family in Germany there are a lot of good bread , and also the amount of different brands in the supermarket is much better than here- I do think i remember being told that the situation has to do with the fact that there are some really big companies here that try to keep others out. Ohh and about bread / croissant f you live near malling / Aarhus then try visit Bichel vine as they cary frozen croissant imported from France and is in a very very good quality , and the price is very good.

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

Thanks for your feedback and the croissant recommendation 😃😊👍🏻

[@FlemmingDP]

@@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark I did just see you moved to Odense , then you can visit the Bichel store here in the town as they also have the Croissants.:)

[@henningmogensen9144]

taking off shoes came about at the time women got work outside the home, less time to clean. When I was young (1960-70) no one took their shoes of, except if they had clogs on.

[@TonnyBredsgaard]

Spot on! Hugs! Uh! You don't NEED to get used to all those things? Living in Denmark is not mandatory?! You are free to live anywhere :D

[@kimtoftjohannsen9099]

Good video again 👍 about the alcohol I can't give you an answer really, maybe it used to be like that that you need get it from behind the counter, and now that the big supermarkets have arrived here then this is not really possible anymore because everything must be more efficient and faster, I think 😄 About the variations and options, I hadn't really thought about that, but you are right. I remember back in the early 90s when coca cola started making variants of their Cola like with cherry 🍒 and stuff, it was just sold here very short as nobody wanted that, but in England it became very popular. I think we are more conservative in what we like, we like what we know I think 😉

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

Interesting ! Thanks for your comment 😊

[@bjrn2010]

Liquor/spirits are behind the cashier in some stores to prevent theft, because they don't have the system you see in Føtex in place, where they either have those locks on them, the store has to remove it before being able to open the bottle, or those anti-theft detectors with tags on the bottles. Those aren't present in many lower end discount supermarkets simply to reduce costs. Other things that are likely to be stolen, like cigarettes, are behind counters in every store for the same reason, although today it's also necessary because of the new law where you have to hide them away to prevent tempting young people in an attempt to prevent smoking. Some stores that experience a high degree of theft of energy drinks have begun moving them near the cashier as well.

[@petervandyk7173]

Ah, the weather in April! (Long story coming up): When God had finished creation, he started naming things. Plants, birds, beasts and so on. And the He called for the months. "You shall be named November, and be a autum/winter month, you shall be named December and be a winter month", and so on and so forth. When He came to april and told april to be a spring month, april became so happy, she started running and playing and shouting "I'm spring!". Then God called for the months again, this time to give each month its weather. But april was too busy playing, so april never showed up to get its weather. When the other months had recieved their weather, they went on their way, but met april (still playing and running). "April, what are you doing, you're supposed to get your weather from God!" April went to see God, but He had allready used all the weather for the other 11 months, and had none left. April was devastated and started crying loudly "I have no weather! What kind of month will I be without weather, boo hoo hoo!" 😭 So all the other months felt so sorry for april (or became tired of the loud wailing), so they decided to each grant april a couple of days of their own weather! And that is why april has everything, from winter blizzards, autumn storms to bright summer sunshine. 😄

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

Thanks for sharing 😉

[@Finnec123]

Never heard that before. So now I know. 🙂

[@petervandyk7173]

An old story told to me by my grandmother (mormor). She was from Vestsjælland, don't know if it was specific to that area?

[@Finnec123]

@@petervandyk7173 I grew up on Als, my parents and grandparents were from Vestjylland - and I never heard that story. Nor in Copenhagen where I've spent most of my life. (Keeping it English for the sake of n-D speakers).

[@richardejgaardfrandsen7502]

@@Finnec123 als has its own weather system, i used to travel from one end to the other, and could have 3 different weather types on the way, sunny in asserballe, blizzard in guderup and sunny in nordborg. and do not get me started on wind directions

[@clausnielsen9700]

I am danish and I love dark chocolate, and I aggree, there are to little to choose from :-) But I need to cut down on carbs so maybe its end up being the best way after all. Easier to stop, when there arent so many good things to choose from.

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

Yes that’s true ! 😅

[@ane-louisestampe7939]

I can explain April: The April weather is like the young girls: unreliable! (it's from an old song :-) When you leave your house in the morning, you bring your bathing suit, you thickest woolen sweater, sunscreen and a raincoat. I hate traveling around in Denmark in April, as you have to pack ALL kinds of clothes and shoes.

[@inkaacrowe8429]

May is beautiful

[@ane-louisestampe7939]

@@inkaacrowe8429 Absolutely - when the weather is nice 🤣

[@reneskaaning5751]

We never took our shoes off in the house. And I can’t remember any of my friends houses where we did that. Other than when I come back to DK to visit In my son’s house they take the shoes off.

[@karenschafer2827]

I am surprised at the comments about lack of good Danish bread and pastries. My father was Danish ( born in 1905 and came to the US in 1929) and always talked about the good bread and pastries in Denmark. Did not suffer in the US though because we lived in NJ right outside of NYC and could get a huge variety of baked goods because of the many ethnicities in the area.

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

Yes but like they said unfortunately the amount of bakeries and the quality is not what it used to be years ago.. it’s a shame for sure 😕

[@Krydolph]

There isn't a "super market" so small they don't have their own "bake off" - so its kind of like bakers bread, but really something they get frozen or unbaked from a facotory, and then bake "fresh" in the store. As that has become more and more the norm, bakers close, first, they are more expensive, and second, if you are out shopping anyway, and the bakeoff is "decent enough" you might save the trip to an extra store, and just get that. Bakers can't survive if you only go there for special occasions.

[@traver1965]

Congrats with the baby coming :) The personal space thing is very true. Actually som people will think you are aggressive if you overstep this invisible line. I do for sure ;) As for taking shoes off. You actually answered that one later in the video. Because of the ever changing weather we dont want to take mud or snow into the house. The frequent change of weather is a thing I really like. Some years ago we had a summer with 3 months of high temperatures and sunshine. That was really really bad. If you want to get money from your bottles you dont need to reduct it from your shopping. You can simply ask for the money. Some politicians wants to change this because it attracts a lot of foreigners from less fortunate countries. Food. Auch that one hurts. In Denmark we dont have a lot of markets with fresh things. That limits shopping a lot. But for chocolate, pasta and other non-fresh food I think we have some variety. But not in the same shop. But overall I guess danes are very old fashioned about food. "I bought this brand for 40 years and I will buy it the next 40 years!!!!!"

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

Thanks a lot for your comment 😊😃👍🏻!

[@bobaer3885]

You are right about danish supermakets. It's nothing like in France

[@guydanish]

Thx for another super video, about the options in the supermarkets, I think they will choose from whaat is popular and make sales. Instead you may be able to find what your looing for in shops specialised in examble Chokolat, ecological and health products. But they are mostly in the bigger cities. Are you moving into a house or appartment in Odense?

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

I think it’s a shame to not have cheaper dark chocolate flavors available , i do love the fancier kind of course but with the amount i eat it would cost me a fortune every month 😂 i live in an apartment in Odense yes 😊

[@kinuuni]

You have to go to special stores to get more options. I get that it can be tedious but as a lover of small speciality stores I kinda love it :)

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

Yes ! And they know what they’re selling and can advise you well 😃😊👍🏻

[@persimonsen8792]

If you wan't difference choices, when you're shopping. Go to IRMA (zealand) or MENU. The rest of the supermarkets are all the same, product wise. Except ALDI or LIDL which are for germanholics.

[@danfrompc]

I find that when I visited Denmark that people had to do a lot more self service. Some examples are filling your own gasoline in a car at a gas station. Weighing and affixing labels to produce bought at a grocery store. Having to bag items yourself with items purchased, particularly at larger stores.

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

I would say it’s the same in France , a lot of self service too except that in a lot of shops (not supermarkets) the cashier will put the items in the bag unless you bring your own 🙂 so Denmark and France are similar in that sense 😊

[@vrenak]

Are you from Oregon or New Jersey?

[@danfrompc]

@@vrenak Ontario, Canada

[@knudplesner]

In larger stores you have a larger selection to choose from, as in Føtex, Irma, Meny and more. Milk can be obtained from Arla, or 4-5 other brands, and in many qualities: Cheap imported milk, dried milk, long-life milk, plant-based milk, lactose-free milk, normal milk, max 24 hours old milk, organic milk, and homogynised milk, biodynamic milk, And you can choose between different fat percentages: Buttermilk, Milk: 0% 0.1% 0.5% 1.5% 3.5% 4.5%, Cream: 9% 19% 38%, Butter: 25% Oil + 75% Butter, or 99% Butter with or without salt, maganine, or duck fat, lard, olive oil, rapeseed oil, cold pressed, and much more. And cheeses we have many hundreds of types of, Remember we export 95% of our milk products, A good loaf of bread typically costs 40, - 50, - kroner, so it is normal to bake it yourself, but you can buy hundreds of the ingredients yourself, for example in Netto. The cheaper white bread or rye bread there are also hundreds to choose from.

[@knudplesner]

Try an Organic cold-pressed rapeseed oil the next time you need to make a salad: "Økologisk koldpresset rapsolie"

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

Thanks for the feedback😃😊

[@mortenbork6249]

The danish Elderly has also reached an age, where they don't care anymore, social norms can sort of .... sod off? What are you going to do about it, really? So if they want to talk to you, they will :D Take it as a compliment. An old person thought you were interesting enough to risk a conversation!

[@extract]

April, oh year. Seen Aprils with snow on the ground in the beginning of the month and 25°C by the end of the month, that's how changable it is. Bread? My father lived for 15 years in the south of France. Much better bread selection and quality of bread, you can't go to the boulangerie and get a grand boule in Denmark, but what surprised me, was that all the bread is not ready in the moning, so you may have to wait till later on the day to get such a thing as a grand boule. As for food selection: The French are much more into gourmet food than the Danes. My little bro is really a gourmet, so he loves France, he once asked for daube sangliere on a French restautant in September and was told in no uncertain terms that they didn't hunt wild boar till October, so no daube.

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

Thanks for your comment 😃😊

[@aviaja2008]

I am proud of the danish recycling system in Denmark. I recycle: 1. Plastic 2. Paper 3. Bottles. 4. Glass 5. Organic. I do not buy plastic bags for my groceries. I try to stay clear of toxic cleaners in my home. I am mindful of how much water I need for different things. I appreciate the collective transportation we have and the bike cycling infrastructure we have. We try to go forth holistic on the green movement. I also go for eco-friendly clothes. I defiantly support an eco-friendly minded government. But we can differently do better! The packaging on groceries is horrific....toooo much plastic! When you are conditions to eco-friendly behaviour it just becomes second nature

[@lillahorvath7385]

Hi Margot, Thank you for the information. What is Denmark's attitude towards common-law or married couples moving to Denmark?

[@nihansen1457]

Sweet!

[@pm71241]

Having been to France several times and tried to find Yoghurt for my breakfast... I'll have to say that most Yoghurt in France seems to be more like a sugary snag. I think I only found 1 not overly sweet product (AFAIR, green "Bio"). Yoghurt in Denmark is more like a stable food - and sold in liters not in small cups.

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

Yes that’s true ! It surprised me the “bottle” packaging for yogurt in Dk 😃 never seen that before 😄

[@micbanand]

little to choice from. I think you are only going to the discount shops "fakta, netto, aldi" and so. If you go to the biggere shops like " kvickly, super brugsen" and so on there is much more variety. and finally you can go to the more specified shops. we also have lots of good bakery's?? If you use a bakery often. You could try asking them to make some of the France bread you miss :)

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

I do go to føtex Meny and Super Brugsen 🤷🏼‍♀️😄 and thanks for the advice i will ask them and see what they say 😊👍🏻😃

[@nikolasbeckerandersen1383]

Like youre videos. But the shoes off i remember as an old habit. I never do that these days except by old people. When i visit my friends and family we never do it. Except of course if you been out in bad weather and youre shoes are wet and dirty i will take them off and i am danish and been living here for 51 years :)And yes you are absolutely right about danish supermarkets. Its always the same.

[@hellelinasolbaak462]

Small talk is commen in Jutland the West part of Denmark. Les in the Capital

[@Jetmab04]

Hm... In some places maybe, certainly not all. Last time I visited Denmark, I was tol "we don't speak to people we don't know and, that was in the mid-west of Jutland. To my question" how do you get to know people if you don't speak to anyone? " I was told, they only speak to the people they've always known. Baffled me as I was born in Denmark and, was always able to speak to everyone.. Maybe that's why I left the place...

[@briandelaroy1670]

Weather in Denmark during April is the same as weather in Colorado USA…..BiPolar

[@somerandomguy4240]

I'm sure exactly where in Denmark you live, but the part I live in has plenty of bakeries. Like, they're everywhere.

[@kedar_ghimire]

Options depend upon size of population, i think. I prefer more options too

[@rip591]

About 10. If the shops could have a "provenu" they would sell 6 different variants, but there is typically no such customer base to do it. And yes, it's a shame.

[@toen1939]

The small selection at supermarkets is related to several things. I think the system were the suppliers pays to get their offerings into the commercials is one big factor. The other is that the average Dane does not care as much about food quality as I would imagine French people does. (Some years ago I heard a survey saying that in Italy, they use about 50% of their free income for food, in England 10%, and in the US about 1% - I would guess French are closer to Italians and Danes closer to England). This is also, why bakeries, butchers, fish shops etc. are getting fewer and fewer. This is not just about the selection of brands and flavours - it is also true for meat types/cuttings, vegetables, spices etc. :-(

[@Lorentari]

If you go to a larger super market like Bilka you have plenty of options though. But if you go to a central Copenhagen supermarket it is physically impossible to fit all kinds of options in Also - most Danes don't give a **** about the brand ;)

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

Yes i noticed they don’t 😂😅

[@adrianpallis4568]

I think the reason to have fewer options in supermarket is purely profit, its simply easier to control customer behaviorism in this way, that ensures the profit of the product, also too many competitors will make the product compete and the prices will fall not good for the supermarkets. Also the danish food system is a system where the farmers own the production and the supermarkets together (yes Brugsen is owned by the farmers) so streamlining the production ensures more profit. Also there is a big focus on food waste here, and too much option will make more food waste because you have to produce items you are not sure will be sold out.

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

Thanks for the interesting info! 😊👍🏻

[@Mnuller]

As a vegan en Denmark we certainly need more variety, and on another note better prices for vegan products ^^

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

Yes 💯%! 😊👍🏻

[@jonfr]

Taking the shoes off also applies in Iceland. Iceland was under Danish rule until 1945 so there is a lot of imported customs that Iceland has from Denmark (but also Germany for some reason less explained). Also, never under no circumstances ask a Dane or a German how their day is going. You will get their day story if you do so. I've made this mistake and I do not plan on making it again. Unpredictable weather in Denmark was nothing but a breeze for me. I hardly noticed it from the crazy weather (it moves rocks, houses, cars and everything loose goes into the ocean by the wind) I get in Iceland. On point five, This is not common in Iceland and I had to adjust to it. Germany has way more options then Danish supermarket and I was living on the border with Flensburg the German supermarkets are way bigger then Danish ones. But I am however coming from a country that has even worse options (hardly any) compared to Danish ones.

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

Interesting ! Thanks for sharing 😊👍🏻

[@UltraSuperDuperFreak]

But you dont need several version of each item in supermarked .. you need a expencive, medium and cheap alternative . And they all must work well, or taste about the same. etc etc depending on product. Then it nearly doens matter if you take product a b or c they all do the same nearly. Besides it also depence on which supermarked you go too, if you want diffirent version htne just go to diffirent supermarked. Its not that hard honestly. They are usually really close to each others aswell in each city. And our bakeries have SUFFERED over the last two decades ... when i was child there was ALOT more bakeries. And boy o boy i could chose between alot of wares. Try find a "rumkage" now a days lol ... you freaking cant. After supermarked have "taken" over the bakeries. And if you go to a real baker to get one they cost way to much. Easy twice the price. And the alcohol gets stolen if not placed protected. Same with tobacco and racerblade / batteries in some stores are also place behind or atleast close to cashier.

[@AFrenchWomanLivingInDenmark]

Thanks for your comment 😊😃👍🏻